Reactive armor cassette modules are known in the art for forming an armor adapted to protect a body from an incoming projectile, and are especially effective against hollow charges. Hollow charges usually comprise an explosive charge set behind a liner which is adapted to transform the liner into a powerful and directional jet adapted to penetrate the body to be protected.
A standard reactive armor cassette module usually comprises two plates having sandwiched between them an explosive material, usually referred to as Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA). The explosive material is adapted to explode upon impact of the directional jet therewith, and thereby propel the two plates in essentially opposite directions. The cassette modules are often positioned on the body to be protected at an angle to the expected impact direction of the projectile, whereby upon propulsion of the plates and their subsequent movement, the jet is dispersed upon the plate, whereby its penetration capability is greatly reduced.
In order to increase the efficiency of a reactive armor, a plurality of cassettes in a variety of configurations may be used. The armor cassette modules may be spaced apart to cover a greater area of the body to be protected, be angled to each other and even be compactly packed within an armor module.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,080,587 discloses an armor module comprising a rigid casing having a front face, a top face and a bottom face, and a plurality of multi-layer planner cassettes fixedly mounted within the casing. Each cassette has a top base plate and a bottom base plate, sandwiching between them at least a one other layer. The top base plate of an uppermost cassette constitutes the top face of the casing, and a bottom base plate of a lowermost cassette constitutes the bottom face of the casing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,244 discloses an armor for Protection of land vehicles such as tanks, armored cars or the like against shaped charge projectiles. Protection is achieved by a cover member having suspended therefrom on the side that faces the substrate at least one explosive insert comprising an explosive layer sandwiched between two metal layers, such that when the element is mounted on the substrate the explosive insert remains distanced therefrom.